


Some Kind of Normal

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 04:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8517739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: Bruce sometimes forgets just how young Damian is. When Bruce comes to rescue him after a botched reconnaissance mission he realizes how much pressure he puts on his son.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [audreycritter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/audreycritter/gifts).



Damian tensed as he heard footsteps approaching the room they’d tossed him in. He set his jaw. As frustrating as his predicament was he’d have to stick it out until his Father found him. _Father_. Damian gulped. Father was going to be furious when he found him.

He’d messed up. At the time, the routine reconnaissance mission had seemed like an opportunity, another chance to prove himself to his father. He hadn’t been counting on the drug cartel’s leader recognizing him as a Wayne, so he’d stupidly forgotten to keep an eye out for a tail as he made his way home, and had subsequently been kidnapped.

The door swung open and Damian blinked at the sudden light in the dark room. He couldn’t make out the figure approaching him, but he could hear the heavy footsteps better and the swish of a cape. “Father.” He breathed, his heart surging at the rescue.

His eyes focused better the closer Batman got to him until he could make out the hard line of his father’s lips. He didn’t say a word as he reached behind Damian and sliced through the ropes binding him with a batarang.

Damian sat up rubbing his sore wrists. A part of him wanted to hug his father, the other part was held back by the silence from Batman. As predicted, Father was mad. Damian only wondered when the silence would break and he’d hear about his failure. He’d be lucky to get away with only missing a week of patrol for this.

“You snuck out.” Bruce said.

Damian thought he’d prepared himself for a lecture, but on hearing those three words he realized he hadn’t. He’d only done what he believed would resolve the situation in a timely manner. Yes he’d screwed up, but there was little he could do to change that now. He matched his father’s frown. “I saw an opportunity and took it. If I hadn’t—"

“Then you wouldn’t have been kidnapped again.” The statement invited no arguing.

“It wasn’t my intention, besides I—"

Again his father cut him off. “Besides nothing. Do you realize what those men could have done to you? How dangerous they even are? You’re lucky one of them recognized you when you got caught snooping instead of killing you on sight.”

“I did not get caught.” Damian interjected.

Batman turned to glance at the door. “Someone saw you, which counts as getting caught. We can discuss this in the car.”

As Batman moved back to the door to look out Damian pushed himself to his feet and went to follow him. His left ankle twinged and Damian mentally kicked himself. He’d forgotten about the sprain. It was half the reason they’d caught him anyway.

He grit his teeth and continued forward, he wasn’t going to let it stop him. He made it halfway to the door before it gave out, twisting awkwardly in an unsteady step. He yelped at the pain and threw a hand out to catch himself. His hand connected with air and he stumbled forward the final few steps colliding into his father who’d turned at the noise.

Bruce caught him by the arms, his attention going to Damian’s face which had paled. “Are you alright?” The earlier anger had cooled with worry.

“I’m fine.” Damian pulled back away from him, careful to step lightly on his left foot. “My foot fell asleep that’s all.” He wasn’t going to admit to anything worse than that, not to his father. Not right now. He could handle the pain of the sprain temporarily and wrap it once they got back to the Manor.

Bruce frowned and motioned for Damian to sit. “Let me look at it.”

Damian scowled. “I told you it’s fine. Besides, aren’t we in a hurry?”

His father gave him a half smile. “Only if we don’t want to run into the Commissioner. None of the men here will be waking up any time soon.”

Damian hesitated. If Father found out about his ankle he’d surely have to miss patrol for the rest of the week, simply for medical reasons. It wasn’t even that bad of a sprain. He shook his head. “It’s fine. Let’s go, I don’t want to run into Gordon. He’ll make me wait for civilian you or worse he’ll send me to the hospital.” He eyed Batman who sighed.

“Stop being stubborn about this. It’s what got you into this mess in the first place.” Bruce told him, his earlier anger back, or perhaps it was frustration. Either way it sounded the same to Damian and his bravado crumbled the tiniest bit.

“Tt. Fine.” He agreed at last and sat back down on the ground. Bruce knelt beside him his hands pressing at Damian’s ankle. Bruce’s fingers reached the sore spot and Damian hissed at the pain from the pressure.

He glanced up to see that father’s lips had pressed into an almost invisible line. “You’re angry with me.” Damian said his heart falling.

“You lied.”

“Because you’d tell me I couldn’t patrol.” Damian winced again as his father found another tender spot on his ankle.

“And you won’t.” Bruce clenched his jaw. “Not for two weeks. Not with that sprain or after the stunts you’ve pulled today.”

Damian yanked his foot back and frowned. “That’s not fair. I was only doing what you would have had me do in a few days. I simply expedited the situation.”

“You went on your own without backup or permission.” Bruce told him standing. “There is nothing productive about that.”

Damian followed his lead, getting to his feet while keeping the pressure off his left foot. He was about to speak again, argue that it had been productive. Father had stopped the group after all, and Damian had found evidence to put them in prison for a long time (not that Father had given him the opportunity to present it yet). He was stopped from making his argument by his father scooping him up. One moment his feet were on the ground, the next they were suspended in the air.

“Put me down. I can walk.” He insisted.

Bruce only adjusted his grip and began walking. “This is faster. Your sprain will slow us and we’ve wasted enough time already.”

Damian clamped his jaw shut and wrapped his arms around Bruce’s neck defeated. Father was right, the sprain would slow them down. He refused to let that happen. He’d done enough damage already today. He swallowed back the frustrated tears that pressed behind his eyes. He was tired. No, not tired but exhausted. He hadn’t realized it until Father had picked him up.

As angry as his father was, Damian still felt safe with him. Relief washed away the tension that had kept him awake the past few hours. Exhaustion explained his tears. Even as he thought it he knew it was only partially true.

He tightened his hold around his father’s neck and pressed his face into Bruce’s shoulder. He’d tried to help and only ended up causing more work for him. Father had every right to be angry with him. He should have been paying attention, instead he’d allowed his mind to wander to the pride Father might feel when Damian brought home news of the next shipments location and time.

“Would you be as angry with me if I’d been successful?” Damian asked.

Bruce’s stride halted for a beat before resuming its smooth gait. “I’m not angry.” He said.

“Yes you are.” Damian muttered. “I only did what I knew you’d have me do a few days from now. The ice cream shop that was a front is a perfect place for me to gather information. You had the plan, you just didn’t know they worked their yet.”

Bruce sighed. “You’re right. I would have sent you there. But I would have done it safer. Disguises, communication between you and I, someone waiting for you at home. Going without telling me was foolish.”

Damian bit his lower lip. Father was right again. He’d been brash and acted too quickly once he’d discovered the front. His breath caught as he pushed back a second wave of frustrated tears, biting his lip a little harder. He blinked as water pooled in his eyes. He wouldn’t cry. He was just tired that’s all.

“Damian.” Bruce’s tone was soft. “I’m not mad. I was worried about you.” One of his hands shifted from Damian’s back to press his hair. “You disappeared in the middle of the day and didn’t tell anyone. Then when you didn’t return for patrol—” Bruce stopped.

“I’m sorry.” Damian whispered.

He ran his hand through Damian’s hair. “I’m sorry too. You shouldn’t have felt like you needed to do this.”

In his arms Damian stiffened. “It wasn’t a case of feeling. As I’ve said repeatedly, you would have had me do it anyway. The surveillance was such that I would be the prime choice. A child at an ice-cream shop is hardly news to anyone.”

“I was wrong, I’ve been wrong.” Bruce said.

At his words Damian pushed back a little to look at his father’s face. Bruce wasn’t looking down at him, still focused on getting them out of the building but his face was serious. “I forget how young you are, and how dangerous this life is for a kid.”

Damian scowled. “I’m not a kid.”

Now Bruce looked down at him and Damian wished he could see his father’s eyes through the lenses of his cowl. “Yes you are.” The words were soft, and full of care. “You’re not Dick or Jason, and I shouldn’t expect you to be.” Bruce tugged him a little closer. “I only want you to be yourself, Damian. That means occasionally letting the adults do things so you stay safe. _Even_ if you can handle it.”

“But-”

Bruce shook his head. “It doesn’t mean your weak or failing. It’s the opposite in fact, you’re accepting the fact that your family worries about you and taking the opportunity to stay safe.” Bruce swallowed. “If I could make it so, none of you would be out on the streets patrolling. Ever.”

“You can’t tell me not to.” Damian said.

Bruce gave him a small smile. “And I won’t. But I will ask you to take some nights off. If it helps I’ll take some off as well. Maybe a few a month. That way we can try to be normal at least for a little bit.”

Damian rolled his eyes up at his father. “We aren’t normal.”

“But we could be. Dick and the others all got some normalcy. I want it for you too.”

Damian thought about his request for a moment before nodding. “I will agree, only if I have your word that you too will stay back with me. And if you’ll allow Grayson to participate as well. Or Todd. I’ll even accept Drake.” He eyed Bruce. “You all need to act your age sometimes.”

Bruce chuckled, “Alright. I think we can make that happen.”

They lapsed into silence until, “Father?”

“Yes?” Bruce glanced down at him.

“Am I still grounded?”

“Yes.” Bruce said a smile slipping onto his face. “But maybe just until your ankle is better.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Audreycritter and inspired by a headcannon on Tumbr by batfamhcs.


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